Stephens Mark Samantha. Stephens Mark Samantha. Stephens Mark Samantha.
Written by Samantha Stephens
Mark Stephens
My name is Samantha Stephens and this is the way that my family came to live in Nyabing. In October of 2003 my husband Mark and I bought into a partnership with Elders under the name of Nyabing Rural Services (a farm supply shop located on the main street) and move from Wyalkatchem into a house on Aspendale Street in Nyabing with our son Ashley and daughter Gemma.
Ashley was already boarding at Kent Street Rotary College and going to Kent Street High School, and Gemma was enrolled for the last term of the year to go to Katanning Senior High School where she graduated in 2007.
Mark officially took over the business on 1st of October 2003, and found the people of Nyabing were very keen for a new family. After many questions on if our kids were of primary school age and what sport we played, we found life in Nyabing very comfortable.
Moving to a smaller country town has given our children and ourselves a freedom not known in the bigger towns and city and we find the thought of living back in Perth, as not something we would choose to do again. One of the benefits of living here was the kids got the chance to do seasonal work on farms and with CBH, which is how they both bought their first cars. Ashley worked on CBH in 2004 and then again in 2005 before taking up a job with a mining company as a Junior Coring Engineer and basing himself in Perth, escaping to the country when he could. In 2007 Gemma worked her first season on CBH in Kuringup Bins as Weigh-Bridge Officer. At the end of the season she was then employed under a traineeship in Administration/ Librarian at the Shire of Kent.
In February 2010 Gemma purchased the original Main Roads (Roads Board) officers house on the main road of Nyabing which was one of the first houses built in Nyabing. Gemma also has her own small business called Gemma Lee Photography since 1st May 2011. At the end of 2011 she took the photo’s for and published the first tastefully nude calendar of Nyabing locals. She donated $5 from every calendar sold to the Nyabing St John Ambulance Sub Station.
Both Gemma and Ashley have played sports for Nyabing, with Gemma being part of the grand final win for the Nyabing Netball Club in 2008 (and currently playing netball). Mark has played Pennant Bowls for Nyabing Bowling Club since 2003- 2004 season and was part of four Pennant wins- one recently for the 2011-12 season.
Nyabing Rural Services in 2016
In November 2009 we went independent, as sole owners of Nyabing Rural Services, with the encouragement of the farming community and have never looked back since. Gemma came to work with us in March of 2010 and we are now officially a family business, well patronised by our surrounding community. We have expanded our shed area and updated our showroom and offices between the mid 2010 to late 2011.
We also won the National Agsafe award for January 2010, which we celebrated with our clients and supplier with a dinner party at the golf club. One of our suppliers, the State Manager of Farmoz, became a favourite with the all of the ladies when he produced a large quantity of very cold Moet Champagne to help with the celebrations!! To say a great night was had by all, but by the next morning, I don’t know about but I was told about quite a few headaches which were apparently our fault!
So here we are in 2012 and nearly ten years have passed by and we’re thinking if we are still here in another ten we might actually get to the status of “A Local”, maybe.
Mark also served on the Kent Shire Council as a Councillor for eight years.
Back Row: Cr Alan Smith, Cr Mark Stephens, Cr Grant Collins, Cr Scott Crosby, Cr Gordon Browne
Front Row: Cr Renae Jury (Deputy Shire President), Cr Megan Tuffley (Shire President), Cr Tim Borgward.
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